Talk:M22 Locust

Safekeeping

 * TM 9-2800
 * TM 9-724
 * TM 9-1724A
 * SNL G148


 * Leland Ness (2002) Janes World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles: A Complete Guide, Harper Collins, ISBN 0-00-711228-9
 * Oleg Granovskiy - Names, Designations and Service Figures of IDF Armored Vehicles (Олег Грановский - Названия, обозначения и количества бронетанковой техники АОИ) at Waronline.org

Safekeeping II
The original specification for an air-transportable light tank was issued in May 1941, with a target weight of eight tons. Three companies were invited to submit designs, Christie, GMC and Marmon-Herrington. The Marmon Herrington design was selected for production with the designation T9. After the first vehicles were delivered in late 1941, it was found to be too heavy, and a number of alterations were made, such as making the main turret removable, and removing the gun stabilization and power traverse systems. The resulting vehicle was designated T9E1.

The resulting vehicle could be airlifted only by the C-54 Skymaster, and only with turret removed and placed inside the fuselage and the tank hull suspended below the wing. As the British had the Hamilcar glider which was big enough to carry the M22 ready for battle, they took over the vehicles. Of 1,900 Locusts ordered, only 830 were delivered.

In a number of vehicles guns were fitted with a Littlejohn adaptor, which produced higher muzzle velocity.

The British 6th Airborne Division used the M22 in March 1945 crossing the Rhine in Operation Varsity. After the war some Locusts were given to Egypt and were employed there until 1956, including in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Some tanks were captured by the Israel Defense Forces. Three of those were adopted by the IDF; all were retired by 1952.

Copyedit
Notes etc below as usual. EyeSerene talk 08:58, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Background

 * Who did the British military make the request of? Was this a general "out to tender" contract?


 * Can we be more specific than "British military"? We Brits don't use the term "military" in the US sense as referring to our Armed Forces.


 * "A decision had recently been made by the War Office.." Can we put a date on this (or otherwise be more specific)?

British numbers?
The article states fairly clearly that the UK only took 260 of the 830 produced. However, a detailed 1950s breakdown of Lend-Lease shipments reports 420 sent to the UK (strictly "UK and British Empire except Canada"). Any idea what might explain the discrepancy - were 160 notionally assigned to the UK but never left the US? Andrew Gray (talk) 20:20, 13 June 2016 (UTC)


 * Some items sent to the UK never arrived due to shipping losses. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.149.173.52 (talk) 10:23, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

Surviving Panzers source
Surviving Panzers is an unreliable WP:SELFPUB source and cannot be used. Schierbecker (talk) 07:44, 26 January 2024 (UTC)